Friday 8 June 2018

A Tale of Two Crazy Quilts

Today I am linking with my friend Christina from A colourful life. We often inspire each other to make things and on this project we both decided to make a crazy boyz quilt and post together.
 

This quilt has been a whole heap of fun. No pressure. A square here and there. An instant washi tape gallery to enjoy. All packed neatly away in my huge cake tin when clearing away was required.


It uses all long thin scraps that developed as I finished my King Sized Quilt 'Lucky'.The strips were not squared, just used as they were plucked from the tin. It took about 20-30 mins to make each block selecting strips on size and pattern randomly; this is so liberating. 


There are limited florals lots of spots, stripes, checks, gingham, paisley, birds and stars - a right old mix up. There is a favourite shirt of the recipient which keeps reappearing and some of his father's shirts too. Henry does not know his mum has given me those items, he thinks they have gone to the charity shop. You may recognise some fabrics too if you have ever sent me some.


When they are all joined together it looks really crazy. To a non-quilter it holds the mystery of how the heck the whole thing was sewn together which is just the kind of feeling, Henry the recipient, will like. He loves science, adventure, puzzles, the crystal maze and a little sentiment. It is going to be a perfect 18th Birthday present. 


The border acts as a frame to make the whole thing stand out. For the first time I used the backing as the border which is brought forward from back to front and hand sewn. There is some hand quilting in the crazy panel which I will add to over time. It will be packed away now for a few years until his special day comes around. Size wise it is a single which is bigger than a spaniel as you can see! What do you think? It is a good design for a boy quilt isn't it?

The original 'Lucky' Quilt is the quilt that keeps on giving. It created these thin strips for this throw and there were 16 squares left over hiding in a drawer so I made a cushion pad for my new relaxing hammock. Perfect, all gone.



Here is a sneek peek at Christina's. Do pop over and see her quilt which she made for her boy. Her approach was mathematical whereas mine was random - it is good to see different takes on the same idea don't you think?


Thanks for dropping by. Jo xxx

15 comments:

  1. It is wonderful Jo, I very much like Henry's quilt. Imagine his surprise when he finds a long forgotten but instantly remembered beloved shirt on his special birthday! I am also admiring your new cushion made with squares from the quilt that keeps on giving. Enjoy reading your magazine, swinging gently in your hammock. Wishing you good weather to do so. xx

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    1. P.S. Thanks for sharing with me. I have updated the link to your post on my own, it will now direct readers to this particular post, not the most recent one, even in the distant future. x

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    2. I made my final link to your quilt post too. x

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  2. It's absolutely brilliant. Popping over from Christina's to see your quilt and I love it. It will make a wonderful 18th birthday gift.

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  3. What a lovely quilt. Just scraps that would be otherwise put in the bin perfect. It really does look like a male quilt I love the way the border makes the colours pop out. I also love the short edges with the what looks like tartan pattern on, another point of interest. I was thinking “ Where have all the years gone” when you said it was for Henry’s 18th birthday. Blimey that is really thinking ahead.

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  4. I too am dropping by from Christina's place to look at your lovely quilt. You have made a fabulous quilt. I love that you stitched the fabrics how you found them adding to the "craziness" of the quilt. That border is inspired. I must say I love the spaniel inspecting it. Oh yes, a fabulous design for a boy. A most beautiful finish!

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  5. Marvellous, so different to Christina,s but equally wonderful. I am a bit of a "neat freak" so the idea of random sizes and "wonky lines" is a bit overpowering.I have made several scrappy, wacky quilts but there has always been squared blocks and a semblance of order. Now I feel the lure of a casual log cabin quilt, I do have plenty of left over strips......

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  6. What a lovely quilt! I'm popping over from Christina's as she told me that you had both posted quilts today - as did I! I love the random mix of colours and wonky log cabins, all tied together with grey. What a lucky young man. X

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  7. It is gorgeous, such an amazing gift with lots of lovely memories triggered by some of the fabrics when he sees it.

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  8. What a treasure, Jo, Henry is sure to love it. I wish I had your skill. And that relaxing hammock is sure to become a favorite summer spot. Another great post.
    Amalia
    xo

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  9. This is stunning! The colours look wonderful

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  10. I love you both and can I say I just love both quits equally. You and Christine are amazing in every way. Well done Jo.

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  11. So beautiful and colourful, it is a fantastic way to use up all those pieces. I like the randomness of it and I'm sure the recipient will love it too. x

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  12. Both quilts are beautiful and cheerful with lot of colors! I am sure the recipients would love these. Great use of small fabric pieces.

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  13. It's a beauty! I love the bright colours in the wide grey border. Have just seen Christina's beautiful quilt too, what a lovely project to work on together. Have a great week. Jx

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